I absolutely love baking holiday treats with my kids, and even though we avoid grains, dairy, and artificial ingredients, we get creative to make some pretty fun treats, like these paleo gingerbread houses!

When I wrote my healthy holiday cookbook Nourishing Holiday a couple of years ago, I knew it had to include a gingerbread man cookie recipe. I started off by creating these fun gingerdoodles cookies, then adapted them to create gingerbread men, which is the finished recipe you’ll find in my cookbook.

I don’t know why I’ve never thought to make gingerbread houses out of the dough, but this year, we were determined to find a way to make paleo gingerbread houses. It worked perfectly, and I found some better/healthier choices for frosting and candy decorations. Basically, this is probably the most fun my kids have had with food since we overhauled our diet, so I’m feeling like a million bucks.

Paleo gingerbread houses: worth the mess!

I know I’m not the only mom who typically avoids messes and big projects. I don’t consider myself a super fun mom. But I want to be, and I want to be more joyful in general, so I’m ending this year with a bang by letting my kids get covered in frosting and put together these cute little houses. We might even make them again before Christmas.

I really like what one of my favorite companies, The Crowning Jewels, has to say about laughter here: “Laughter unlocks the seeds of purpose. Laughter is good for us. The Bible tells us that a joyful heart is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22).”

I want my kids to remember me being joyful, laughing, and not being too uptight.

I want to say yes more.

So when my kids started asking last week if we could make gingerbread houses, I said “Yes!” I quickly and easily found cookie cutters on Amazon, and you know I Prime-shipped those babies to get them here pronto. 😉

These Paleo Gingerbread Houses are not only paleo-friendly because they’re grain, gluten, dairy, and sugar-free, but they’re also GAPS diet-friendly if you omit the molasses. I actually prefer to make them with butter, but if you’re strictly dairy-free, you can make them with palm shortening. (Note: the cookie part is paleo and GAPS-friendly, read more about the frosting below.)

I’ve sweetened them with dates for optimal digestibility and to add health benefits like vitamins and minerals and fiber. They blend up easily in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, or a food processor and give the dough some stickiness. You might be able to get away with an egg replacement in this recipe thanks to the stickiness of the dates, though I haven’t tried it yet.

A note on gingerbread house cookie cutters & more

I used this set of cookie cutters because they were very simple. After some trial and error, it seems the smaller pieces go on the sides and the bigger pieces are the roof. This recipe will make 2-3 houses with this set of cutters. There are also templates online that you can print out and trace onto the dough, but having the cutters sure made for tidy lines and quick, easy cutting.

We used organic frosting from the store. It has some powdered sugar in it, so it’s not 100% paleo-friendly, but I’m ok with that. You could also try making your own frosting with homemade coconut or maple powdered sugar, but I was all about keeping things easy this time.

I found naturally-colored holiday candies that don’t contain artificial ingredients, and I felt pretty good about using them, especially for how festive they look! We used these and these.

Really, you could use anything to decorate them, like nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or chocolate chips, but to be honest, getting a stiff enough frosting will be tricky unless you’re willing to keep it refrigerated. Either way, make these paleo gingerbread houses your own and have fun and laugh with your kids!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*.

In the container of a high-powered blender or food processor, combine nuts, dates, molasses, eggs, butter, vanilla, ginger, and cinnamon. Blend on high until smooth, using the tamper or scraping the sides as you go.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir until a thick, sticky dough forms.

Chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Turn dough out onto large piece of parchment paper or floured surface (tapioca/arrowroot starches are paleo-friendly choices). Place another piece of parchment paper on top, or lightly dust with starch before using a rolling pin to roll dough to 1/4" thickness. (You can divide dough in 2-3 balls to do this in order to have less dough to work with.)

Transfer to a lined cookie sheet, then ball up remaining dough and repeat.

Bake 15-18 minutes, until cookies begin to brown on edges.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before assembling and decorating.

To put houses together and decorate:

Fill a piping bag, fixed with a small/medium tip or with a small hole cut in the tip, with frosting. We used this organic frosting and it worked well, though it will not get stiff like conventional frosting. It was thick enough to hold things together though. You could try a buttercream made with honey and keep it refrigerated in order to avoid sugar, but it will be hard to get a stiff enough frosting without starch or sugar.

Use frosting to attach the smaller rectangle pieces on the sides of each of the tall, pointed front and back pieces. Place the larger rectangle pieces on either upper side as the roof. Fill in any gaps with frosting.

Use the frosting to decorate the houses and affix dye-free candies to them. We used these and these. You could also use nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate chips to be more GAPS- or paleo-friendly, as candy still contains sugar, even if it's dye-free and organic!

Although I have a healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe here already, I’ve been wanting to recreate one that is GAPS Diet-friendly, meaning no starches, honey-sweetened, and using a chocolate chip recipe without sugar. I am more than thrilled to report that after several attempts, I finally nailed it! You’ll find my GAPS Diet Chocolate Chip Cookies below.

I have remade chocolate chip cookies every which way for every type of healing diet I’ve done. I’ve replaced the eggs and butter to make them vegan; I’ve made them gluten free (these are truly the absolute best if you want to really indulge and don’t mind some real deal sugar); and, of course, I’ve made my paleo version, which, if I say so myself, are the best paleo chocolate chip cookies I’ve tried to date.

Of course… since our family has been primarily on the GAPS diet for the last couple months, I knew at some point my cravings would get the best of me. I HAD to to make a healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe we could have on GAPS.

I’m happy to say that after several attempts, I came up with the perfect GAPS chocolate chip cookie recipe! (Not that the fam didn’t appreciate all the recipe testing, but I’m so glad I kept tweaking until I got them just right!)

Why you’re going to love my healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe

I was a little apprehensive about using almond flour for my chocolate chip cookies, although it was the obvious choice for the GAPS Diet, as it’s high in fat and protein and low in starchy carbohydrates.

Early in my paleo baking days, it seemed that the popular almond flour chocolate chip cookie recipes needed to be pressed down while baking, or you wouldn’t get the nice, flattened classic cookie. (And I’m just not a huge fan of cake-y cookies that don’t go flat.)

It turned out that almond flour worked perfectly, and with just the right combination of ingredients and technique, you won’t have to flatten these bad boys out. They spread perfectly as they bake.

In addition, if you’re sure to get a very finely-ground almond flour, the texture isn’t too different from the classic cookies you’re used to that use wheat flour, especially if you take the extra time to sift it.

It had truly been a while since I’d treated my boys to a good chocolate chip cookie. They celebrated through every iteration of these GAPS-style ones, but we all agreed, this final version was the best of all. I made them up early this week while the boys played outside (after the 109º weather had subsided).

Something about summer and sunshine gets my creativity flowing and I want to bake, which makes no sense when it’s over a hundred degrees outside. I also enjoy throwing down a nice, cool, refreshing popsicle now and again. But for some reason, summer and chocolate chip cookies go together in my mind.

Summer so far has been a combination of hiding from the heat and watching (too much) Netflix, now-banned video game playing, running in circles around our property, using questionable judgement while riding the four wheeler, and chasing and catching various critters.

This week’s unlucky captive pet is a sweet, little bunny who has somehow survived in this home with four boys for something like four days now.

My oldest plopped her down while I was photographing these cookies and I couldn’t resist capturing her absolute cuteness.

Gosh, I hope she lives because she is just the sweetest, cutest thing. She eats every little piece of kale, grass, and strawberry my boys put in front of her little nose, and we’re giving her water with colostrum, so I’m feeling like she has a good shot.

But you came here for my healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe. Ahem. I’ll get on with it.

Listen, it’s chewy. It’s just a little doughy in the middle; just a little crispy on the outside. Sweetened only with honey for optimal digestion and absorption. Higher in protein and fats and lower in carbs (if you wanted to make them keto, I think you could sub some stevia glycerite and make some small adjustments, but I haven’t personally tried it).

Basically, these cookies are dangerously good. Even Mr. Incredible, who wouldn’t flinch at eating a conventional, junk-filled chocolate chip cookie, said they were killer. I believe his words were “I ate like ten of them.”

I hid a baggie of them away and then accidentally ate all but one myself. Oops. The Mister was thrilled when I whispered that I had saved him one and where he could find it.

A note on the chocolate chips

I knew that in order to make a truly GAPS-friendly chocolate chip cookie, I would have to make the chocolate chips homemade. So I did! And it was so easy and only took a handful of ingredients. Honestly, I had them made in about half an hour.

You can find my easy chocolate chip recipe here, but if you’re not into homemade (or patience), you can always grab a bar of Pure 7 chocolate or a Honey Mama’s bar, both of which are sweetened with honey.

However, making them yourself will save you money and, I think they taste better in these cookies.

You can get your hands on your own batch of dangerously good, but not-so-sinful chocolate chip cookies using the recipe below. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until cookies are slightly browned on the edges.

For best results, allow cookies to cool completely before moving them, as these cookies are delicate.

Notes

*If you don't want to make chocolate chips, but still want to keep these cookies GAPS-friendly, you can use either a Pure 7 chocolate bar or Honey Mama's chocolate bar (I find them in the refrigerated section at the health food store), cut into chunks. I've tested both and both work well in this recipe.

Homemade popsicles are my favorite way to make my boys a treat in the summer time! Try my strawberry lemonade version below for a treat everyone will love!

Y’all know I delight in being sneaky in the kitchen. Sometimes it’s liver snuck into chili; other times, I throw all kinds of stuff in my morning tea to pack in the utmost nutrition one can in one cuppa.

This post is sponsored by Perfect Supplements; scroll to the bottom for a special discount code to save even more on their already reasonably-priced supplements!

When Perfect Supplements asked me to team up on a summer promotion, I knew the perfect recipe to share- these homemade popsicles that contain protein, vitamin C, and even good fats. I’ve been making them all summer and my kids can’t get enough of them- but they have no idea how good for them they are!

While we know homemade popsicles are healthier than their store-bought counterparts for obvious reasons, I like to take opportunities to sneak in gut-healing, immune-boosting, satiating ingredients anywhere I can.

Just in case you need a reminder, here’s what you’ll find in most store bought popsicles:

refined sugar

corn syrup

food dye

preservatives

a little fruit juice

Blegh.

Why give those ingredients to your kids when it’s so easy to make homemade popsicles? Even better, popsicles packed with nutrition?!

Not only do conventional popsicles contain all the above yucky ingredients, but they cause kids’ blood sugar to soar, setting them up for a crash later. Popsicles that contain fruit fiber and not just juice help to keep blood sugar more stable. My homemade popsicles take blood sugar stabilization a step further by adding protein and good fats, which helps to slow the sugar rush that accompanies the consumption of fruit and natural sugars.

How to turn ordinary homemade popsicles into a major source of nutrition

We accomplish turning typical popsicles into a nutrient-dense treat by adding just a few extra key ingredients, none of which change the flavor or texture. I’m a fan of win-wins.

Let’s take a look at the sneaky ingredients:

1. Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen

I’ve written about hydrolyzed collagen often because it’s truly one of my favorite versatile food-based supplements. It’s packed full of amino acids, which are good for gut health, hormones, and, in turn, neurotransmitters.

Get Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen here (be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post for a discount code!).

2. Vitamin C powder

Vitamin C is known for its immune-boosting properties. It has been purported to treat everything from whooping cough to cancer, so what better supplement to sneak into homemade popsicles?

In my experience, most natural, food-based vitamin C supplements are not potent enough to saturate your body with vitamin C. Instead, I use a more potent form, such as sodium ascorbate.

I also recently learned that without vitamin C, our bodies do not readily absorb and use collagen, which is why I’ve incorporated it into this recipe (strawberries and lemons also contain vitamin C!). It’s the reason vitamin C deficiency is the cause of scurvy, which is really a breakdown of the body’s ability to manufacture collagen and connective tissues. With scurvy, the body literally falls apart as collagen is broken down and not replaced. (source)

While our bodies produce collagen, they do not produce vitamin C. We have to get vitamin C from our diet and supplements, and then our bodies can create the collagen they need.

3. MCT oil

Finally, for good measure, I wanted to get a little fat in the popsicles to further slow the sugar release into the blood stream. If you’ve tried fat bombs, you know that fats help to buffer the body’s absorption of sugars and combining the two can help balance blood sugar.

MCT (short for medium chain triglycerides) contains fats that are easy for our bodies to quickly use, sending them directly to nourish the liver. Once easily processed by the liver, this unique saturated fat provides energy to the body and brain.

Instructions

Use a funnel to carefully pour the mixture into reusable popsicle molds like this.

Once filled and sealed, place popsicles in the freezer for about four hours to freeze solid (if you use fresh strawberries, rather than frozen, you may need to freeze overnight.)

Run a little warm water over the outside of the popsicles if your kiddos have trouble pushing the popsicle upward for eating.

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I’m not super big into going over the top for holidays. We don’t do gifts or baskets on Easter or Valentine’s Day. But I do love an excuse to whip up something special in the kitchen, so for Valentine’s Day last week, I transformed my cassava sugar cookies into this grain-free sugar cookie fruit pizza.

Let’s just say the crowd went wild.

We ate it for breakfast because it has fruit on it, which makes it healthy. 😉 I mean, the fruit was organic.

So… *sugar* cookie fruit pizza?

I really love the maple sugar in this recipe. Maple sugar is less refined than white sugar and offers some trace minerals. And it totally behaves like real sugar in recipes.

But honestly? It’s still sugar. I buy one small bag of it from time to time from Thrive Market and when it’s gone, it’s gone til I get around to ordering again, and I don’t order it every time.

What I do order every time? These maple bacon pork skin cracklings for Mr. Incredible. For the same reason I make this sugar cookie fruit pizza for my boys. I like to make their tummies happy.

If you want to make your kiddos’ tummies happy, I suggest you make this sugar cookie fruit pizza. It’s free from junkie ingredients and it’s gluten and grain-free.

Grab the recipe below, then make it next time your sweet angels deserve a really special treat… or the next time they’ve been insane and mama needs a treat. Either way is justification for this yummy goodness.